12.3 por |
12.3 por |
Quite often por can be translated as by. Sometimes
it's not that easy therefore it's useful to remember
that por indicates
a motive, an attitude, a reason, a time frame, a not
defined place, a tool or the intend. Furthermore keep
in mind that por indicates the originator of the action.
I. expression of reason, motif, attitude or intend: por |
One could say that in the majority of the cases a motif
or a reason is given with the preposition for. In some
cases the Spanish construct their sentences completely
different and there is no direct translation.
motif = for (mostly) |
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Lo
hace por mí. = He does it for me. |
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Por mí puede
terminar ahora mismo. = I do not mind if you stop right now. |
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Si fuera por tí,
el mundo entero estuviera como tu papá,
bien educado y aburrido. = If it was for you the world would be like your Dad, well educated and boring. |
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No le regalaron nada.
Siempre tenía que luchar por lo que
quería. = They didn't give him anything for free. Always he had to fight for what he wanted. |
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¿Es ingenuo
luchar por la paz? = Is it naive to fight for peace? |
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Nosotros luchamos por
la democracia. = Wir kämpfen für die Demokratie. |
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La prensa sigue insistiendo
en que sólo se casó por el
dinero. = The press insists that he only married for the money. |
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El trabaja por el
dinero. = He works for the money. |
reason = because of |
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La
gente no entiende que es por la inflación
que se están volviendo más
pobres. |
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Por el accidente
no pudo venir. = Because of the accident he couldn't come. |
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Por la marea mucha
gente ha perdido su casa. = Because of the flood many people lost their home. |
II. expression of reason, motif, attitude or intend: para |
If the reason, the motif, the attitude or the intend described by an infinitive verb the preposition is para. The translation then is to.
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La
gente viene solo para comer. = People only come to eat. |
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Lo hace para no gastar
tanto dinero. = He does it, not to spend so much money. |
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Si fuera solo para
comer una paella no tenemos que ir a España. = If it was only to eat Paella we do not have to go to Spain. |
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Vivir para ser libres
y luchar para dejar de ser esclavas. = Live to be free and fight to stop being slaves. |
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La
juventud está dispuesta a luchar para defender
su sexualidad. = Youth is willing to fight for the defence of their sexuality. |
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¿Cuánto
paga para obtener un buen servicio? = How much do you pay to receive a good service? |
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¿Cuánto
paga para almacenar los datos? = How much do you pay to save the data? |
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El trabaja para
ganar dinero. = We works to earn money. |
Comparison por and para (por + noun = for / because of; para + infinitive = to) |
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Lo hace por el dinero. = He does it for (because of) the money. |
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Lo hace para comer. = He does it to eat. |
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Trabaja por su familia. = He works for his family. |
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Trabaja para ganar dinero. = He works to earn money. |
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¿Cuánto pagas por el libro? = How much do you pay for the book? |
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¿Cuánto paga para limpiar el sistema? = How much do you pay to clean the system? |
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Lo hacemos por gusto. = We do it for the fun. |
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Lo hacemos para divertirnos. = We do it to amuse ourselves. |
III. stating a fact: para |
If stating a fact without an influence of attitude
to this fact the preposition to be used is para.
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Un
pacifista trabaja para el Pentágono. |
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Un pacifista trabaja
por el Pentágono. = A pacifist works because of the Pentagon..(Motif) |
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El trabaja para una
empresa italiana. = He works for an Italian firm. (stating a fact) aber: |
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El trabaja por una
empresa italiana. = He works because of an Italian firm. (Motif) |
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Lo hacemos por un
cliente nuestro. = We do it for one of our clients. (Motif) aber: |
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Lo hacemos para un
cliente nuestro. = We do it because of one of our clients..(stating a fact) |
The difference is now clearer between por (for, because of = meaning a reason) and para (for = stating a fact).
IV. stating a fact or expression of attitude? |
Sometimes it can be difficult to decide whether it
is just a statement of facts or an expression of attitude.
Then both alternatives are possible and it is just up
to you which one to use.
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Lo hago por tí. = I do it because of you. |
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Lo hago para tí.= I do it for you. |
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Un equipo que trabaja para Usted. = A team that works for you. |
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Un equipo que trabaja por Usted. = A team that works for (because of) you. |
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Trabaja por la revolución
democrática, antiimperialista. = He works for the democratic, anti-imperialistic revolution. |
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La izquierda trabaja
para la revolución que no cree posible. = The left wing works for the revolution that they do not believe to be possible. |
V. tool, means, local definition: by, through |
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Lo
supe por el canal de noticias CNN. = I have heard in the news channel CNN. |
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Lo que ocurrió
luego, lo supe por el relato de mi madre. = What happened then I heard through the report of my mother. |
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Lo conocí por
ti. = I met him through you. |
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Lástima que
me enteré por otros medios y no por
Usted. = It's a pity that I heard through other means and not through you. |
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Esto lo tienes que
aprender por ti mismo. = You have to learn this by yourself. |
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Subieron
los escalones y entraron por la puerta. = They came up the stairs and came in through the door. |
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Iban
por el desierto. = They went through the desert. |
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Hacía tres días
que andaba por el bosque y había perdido
la noción del tiempo. = For three days, he went through the woods and lost his sense of time. |
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Hemos dado una
vuelta por la ciudad. = We had a walk through the town. |
por for local definition |
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¿Dónde
está mi monedero? Está
por ahí. = Where is my wallet? It is somewhere there. |
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Vamos a Madrid pasando
por Barcelona. = We go to Madrid through Barcelona. |
VI. giving time: in |
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Por
la mañana suele trabajar. = In the morning I usually work. |
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Por la tarde hace tanto
calor que no se puede salir de casa. = In the afternoon it's so hot that one can't leave the house. |
VII. stating prices: for |
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Te lo doy por 400
€. = I give it to you for 400
€. |
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¿Me lo vendes por 100 €? = Do you sell it to me for 100 €? |
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Pagé 200 € por este libro. = I paid 200 € for this book. |
VIII. substitution, change, mixing things: for (instead of) |
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Pues
no es legal, pero puedo firmar por él. = It's not legal but I can sign for (instead of) him. |
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Le tomaron por otra
persona. = They took him for somebody else. |
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Puedes cambiar esta
camisa azul por la amarilla. = You can change this blue shirt for this yellow one. |
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